Everybody Talks
by SkinXLess
Summary: His seventh year is going to be his best year ever, James can feel it. Armed with a new girlfriend, a new tan, and new outlook on things he's just about ready for everything. Except the stigma of being the boy that publicly stalked Lily Evans. He could do with out that. The Hogwarts rumor mill just can't let him live it down.
1. The New James Potter

This year was going to be amazing. James Potter could feel it humming through his veins; he could feel it in every breath he took. Hell, the excitement of the crowded train station buzzed around him, people laughing, hugging, and reuniting with their school friends. The potential of the year danced around, lighting up everyone's eyes. The new Head Boy badge was pinned to the front of his robes, gleaming brightly. He knew his mates would take the mickey out of him about how clean he kept it, but he couldn't help it – he was _thrilled_ to start his seventh year. This year was going to be different; this was going to be the year it all changed.

He'd spent all of summer holidays with his uncle Harry in Italy. Things were different now. James was different now. The things he'd experienced the things he'd saw – all of it had molded him, leaving much more than tanner skin in its wake. This was a new James Potter. This was a new start.

His hazel eyes swept the station, looking for the one person he was most excited to see. He looked past Marlene McKinnon; her bushy dark hair had only grown wilder over break. He looked past Emmeline Vance and Lily Evans, huddled close together gossiping about their summers. Finally his eyes honed in on the familiar black shaggy hair of his best mate, Sirius Black. Sirius had spent his holidays with Remus, writing frequently. James had missed him though, being away from him for so long felt wrong. Life without Sirius was like life with a seriously important limb missing, like an arm or a leg. Sirius was his best friend, his brother.

"Oi, Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed when his grey eyes caught sight of his best friend. He ran the rest of the way, pulling him into a rough hug. "Look at you, all tan and the like."

"Beaches do that to you." James laughed.

Remus finally caught up and dragged James into an embrace too. "I take it you had a nice holiday."

James took in the sight of his two best mates, noticing how pale Remus looked and how exuberant Sirius was. "He wore you out didn't he?" He asked Moony. "This old dog is high maintenance."

"He needs constant attention." Moony agreed, humor shining in his eyes. "I had to walk him and take him outside to play at least twice a day."

Sirius ignored them both, draping an arm over each of their shoulders and leading them towards the train. "Peter's saving us a seat." He told James. "Oh that's right; you have to go to the prefect's car with Remus. Seeing as you're head boy and all. Thank Merlin you polished it up nicely however would I have known if it wasn't shining so blindingly bright o your chest. "

"Two minutes." James laughed. "It took you all of two minutes to bring it up."

Sirius gave his best friend's shoulders a squeeze. "Obviously it's because I'm jealous. I always secretly wanted to be head boy."

"Right, was this before or after you became a ballerina?" Remus asked, de-tangling himself from Padfoot's arm.

"Don't be daft, it wasn't a ballerina. I wanted to become an interpretive dancer. And it was before." Sirius called over his shoulder as he boarded the train. "So Prongs, are you going to go all good kid on us now that you've got the power?"

James gave his most sarcastic face, "Yes, I've finally got all the power of the prefects and I'm going to go mad with it. Fifty points from Slytherin! Seventy points from Ravenclaw! Watch out Marauders, I'm turning in all your secrets."

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're the same old Prongs."

But he wasn't. The James Potter who had left had been pathetic and sad. He'd been mooning after a girl who explicitly only wanted to be friends, the former Head Girl made it extremely clear she didn't want to continue their little tryst. Instead of spending his whole summer mooning over his loss, he'd gone out there and hit the Italian beaches like there was no tomorrow. His uncle knew just how to throw a party, every night at that beach house had been the best of his life. He'd met Melissa Gale there. Her dark hair had spilled over her shoulder and tickled his chest as she's leaned down to kiss him the first time. Her bright blue eyes had been the same color as the ocean they'd spent too many nights skinny dipping in.

Yes, James Potter was different because for the first time he was aware of he was in love.

He wasn't quite ready to share that with the others though. Telling them made the whole thing wrong. It brought the two worlds he'd crafted over the summer together and he wasn't ready to share them yet. He wanted to keep Melissa to himself just a while longer.

James just nodded at his friend before turning to Remus, "Should we get going?"

"Probably. The little fifth years tend to get there rather early. They're just so excited to be prefects. Little do they know it's just a shit ton of unwanted responsibility."

Sirius's hand tugged at the sleeve of his robe when he turned to leave, James turned back curiously. "You know Evans is Head Girl right."

James shrugged out of his friend's grip. "Who else would be Head Girl? It's obviously Evans."

"That doesn't bother you?" His best mate asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Why would it?"

The question hung between them like a challenge. That was a chapter of his life that was closed and locked permanently. He didn't care one bit about Lily Evans anymore. That had died at the end of fifth year with a disastrous kiss. There was nothing there but past embarrassments.

"Just wondering."

"Well, it's fine." More than fine. Why would working with Lily bother him when he had Melissa? Of course, Sirius didn't know about her yet. Waving a stiff goodbye, James followed Moony to the car where the prefects were meeting. Most of them were already piled into the thing, cramped between one another. James didn't recognize any of the fresh meat. He did recognize the red head standing in the corner, though. Her hair had somehow turned brighter over the summer; a fresh speckling of freckles decorated her sun kissed face as she beamed over at the late arrival.

"I see you got some sun too." She said, gesturing to James's tan.

"Worked all summer on it." Talking to her was easy. He used to stress so much over whether or not he's say the wrong thing but as soon as he let go everything flowed naturally.

"So, Head boy. How does that feel, Potter?"

"A lot like not being Head Boy." He answered, that easy marauders smirk teasing at his lips.

"Charming."

Remus cleared his throat behind James, making him jump. "Maybe we can begin the debriefing?"

"Unless we're interrupting." A Ravenclaw prefect added, her eagle eyes bouncing between the two Heads.

"Keep looking back and forth like that and your eyes will get stuck in two different directions." James informed her, crossing his arms over his chest. Everyone knew how he'd chased Lily. It had annoyingly become his only character trait in most people's eyes.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him, but quit looking suspicious.

"You can't be mean, Prongs." Remus whispered from behind him. James shrugged; he could be whatever he wanted to be.

As Lily began to drone on about boring rules and regulations, James's mind wandered off to Beauxbatons where Melissa was on her way to. They'd agreed to try the whole long distance thing. He wondered if any of the boys in her year were complimenting her tan or asking about her summer. He wondered if she would laugh, flip her hair over her shoulder, and tell them all about her Hogwarts boyfriend. Was she thinking of him? Did she already miss the feeling of his lips on her skin? He itched to owl her immediately but held back. He had to give her time to settle in. He hadn't even arrived at school yet, for Merlin's sake.

He glanced over at the Head Girl watching as she explained prefect patrols to the new comers, her eyes were a million miles away too. He couldn't help wondering what she was thinking of, how she'd spent her summer, and where. Was she sprawled on a beach similar to the one he'd lived on? She seemed different than she had the last time he'd seen her. He shoulders more square, more sure of herself.

As if sensing his eyes on her she stopped midsentence to look over. "What, have I got something on my face?"

"Just a few freckles. Nothing a complexion potion can't get rid of."

"What crawled in your heart and died?" She shot back, but he could see a spark of humor in her eyes.

"A ferret actually, quite tragic. I've named it Teddy." He didn't even miss a beat. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the door of the car. "Go on, I'll be nice and quiet."

"You've never been nice and quiet a day in your life, Potter." She smiled. "But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, just this once."

He wanted to tell her she wouldn't be disappointed, but he held the comment back letting her complete her meeting in peace. He returned to thoughts of his raven haired girlfriend, sure that Evans could fill him in on Head duties later. It was less than ten minutes later when Remus elbowed him in the side, saying "C'mon, Prongs, you're drooling there. At least pretend to care about your new position."

"I care." He protested. He wasn't even lying, he cared a lot. He'd been thrilled when that badge had fallen out of his letter. It was a nice chance to show his parents that he wasn't such a fuck up. If Dumbledore trusted him then that meant something, and he would take that seriously.

The prefects filed out until it was just the three Gryffindors standing alone. "How was your summer, Lily?" Moony asked, shifting the strap of his bag to the other shoulder.

"It was alright." She grinned, her expression clearly saying it was far better than alright. "I went to Italy with my mum."

"That's funny, because I was in Italy with my uncle." James said. So he and Lily had vacationed at the same spot. Odd. Once upon a time the idea that they'd unintentionally vacationed at the same place would've had him questioning if they were meant to be. But now he found it more of a funny coincidence than a sign from the fates.

"Small world" Was her only comment, before she returned to gathering her papers. "I expect we'll meet up later to discuss what you missed while zoning out?"

"Noticed that did you?" She was always so perceptive.

"It's only the same expression you've been wearing in Herbology since the very first lesson. It's not hard to spot." She brushed past him, out into the corridor. "We'll met up sometimes before classes start?"

"Sounds like a plan." He called to her retreating back. Her ginger locks swayed around the middle of her back as she walked away. He could tell by the shaking of her shoulders she was suppressing a giggle.

"I remember when you couldn't even say your own name around that girl." Remus said, looking between James and the disappearing Head Girl. "And she'd run around calling you an arrogant toerag-"

"She only called me that once." James interrupted, taking his friend by the shoulders and leading him the opposite direction of Lily. "Let's go find Peter and Sirius."


	2. The Sorting hat's Prayer

They found their friends sitting in a full compartment towards the back. Half of the Gryffindor house was piled in there, chatting excitedly with the two Marauders. Sirius was glowing under the attention while Peter seemed a bit more alarmed. The smallest one of them never did like gawking girls that much. He was always more quiet and reserved. Just what they needed to keep them balanced.

"We're not interrupting, are we? " Moony cleared his throat, squeezing into the seat beside Peter. The whole side Sirius was on was already full. "We could always just skip back to the party in the prefect's car."

Sirius rolled his eyes at this friend, "I'm sure listening to Evans spout off rules for twenty minutes was James's idea of a wet dream, but I wouldn't call that a party."

"I resent that." James said, plopping down on Moony's other side. "In my dreams she only goes on for 'bout seven minutes."

"And what's she doing the other thirteen?" Sirius asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

James just winked back, saying "That's none of your business."

The non-marauders in the car burst out laughing, teetering giggles broke through to James's ear. He followed the sound to see his worst nightmare seated two people away from his best mate. Great, Marlene the Giggle Queen was in there. She was bound to tell Lily what he said. Catching his eye she gave him a kind smile, "Lily will find that quite hilarious."

Great, confirmation that Lily would find out.

Letting out a sigh, he dropped his head back looking up at the top of their compartment. The crowd surge on to new topics, asking Sirius about his summer and hanging on his every word. Sirius was getting all of his socialization out. A summer away from others didn't do him any good. He needed attention to flourish, constant unwavering attention. The boy craved it.

"Moony wasn't that bad of a host," Sirius was saying, "He just was always busy reading and doing coursework." He spit the words like they were poison on his tongue.

"Well, one of us has to actually be in the professor's good graces. Could you imagine how quickly we'd be expelled if they didn't like me?"

"Well, Prongs is Head Boy so that means they like him too." Sirius gestured to the badge shining on James's chest.

"That's right, you are Head Boy." The brown headed Hufflepuff next to Sirius said, turning to face James. "Gillian would be so happy. She always said while she was Head Girl that it was a pity you never made prefect."

The marauders stiffened at the mention of Gillian Stratford. It was a topic they really didn't like to bring up, three pairs of eyes swiveled to James, gauging his reaction. He didn't disappoint, his back was straight and his heart was pounding.

"Have you talked to her any over the summer?" The Hufflepuff continued, unaware of the discomfort she was causing.

"No, not a single owl." And it had ripped into him at first, making him hate everything. That was why he went off with his uncle.

"That's right; you two aren't together anymore are you?"

James's hands balled into fist until his knuckles turned white. "No, she broke it off." he answered through gritted teeth.

"Who cares about that bird anyway?" Sirius spat, attempting to break the tension. "She was a bit of a buzz kill anyway."

But she hadn't been. She's let the Marauders skate on everything from sneaking out late to spending long nights in other house dormitories. She had kissed like a firecracker, too. It was constantly heat and sparks with that girl. She'd only broken it off because she was leaving and didn't want to still be tied down to a student. It was like she looked down on James at the end there.

"I have a girlfriend!" Wormtail's squeaky voice interrupted all trains of thought. Everyone turned to his surprised as he looked around the compartment triumphantly. His round face shone brighter than ever he began, "We met while she was visiting her aunt who lived down the street. He name's Amanda. She's, well, she's a muggle."

Every pair of eyes went wide at that.

Sirius was the first to speak, 'Good on you, mate, actually getting a girl." Everyone spoke up to congratulate him after that.

The rest of the train ride was full of gossip and flirting, both things that James had no interest in. He slipped off the train before everyone else, ducking into a random carriage, not carrying who was in it.

"No." His carriage mate sneered. James's back stiffened, he knew that voice.

"What a small world, Severus." He turned to face the greasy haired boy next to him.

"Why aren't you in another carriage doing hoodrat things with your hoodrat friends?" Snape asked bitterly.

"Why aren't you in another carriage doing Death Eater things with your Death Eater friends?" James shot back.

"Fair enough." The Slytherin returned to the book in his lap, pretending that his fellow occupant didn't exist.

The carriage shook again as another figure crawled in, her bright red hair falling in her face as she settled herself in across from them. "Is it alright if I…?"Lily trailed off, finally getting a good look at the boys sitting in front of her. "Oh, sorry to interrupt." She hastily tried to leave but Severus's voice rang out in the stiff air before she could.

"Be a bit more mature, Evans. We're not children who hide from things we don't like." He didn't even look up from his book.

Lily sheepishly lowered back into her seat, twisting one of her curls around her fingers. "Quite right, Sev. I don't have to run from you. I was just afraid I was interrupting your date."

James snorted at that, giving Lily a reassuring smile. Severus bristled but otherwise stayed silent. The ride to the castle was so much more than awkward. The silence between the three of them was so heavy it threatened to smother James alive. He couldn't help taking deep breaths as he exited to the castle, Lily at his side.

The tiny red head slipped on the second to top step, falling forward and grabbing his robes for support. He wrapped his hands around her waist to steady her. Severus glowered at them as he rushed past. James paid him no mind, focusing on the girl he was supporting. "Alright there, Evans?"

James's hands burned where they touched her, sparks shooting up his arms. Lily slowly raised her green eyes to meet his hazel ones, an embarrassed smile on her lips. "Sorry 'bout that, I'm a bit clumsy when I'm nervous."

He hastily let her go, shoving his tingling hands in his pockets. "No problem, fall on me anytime you like."

Shit, that was stupid.

She raised one eyebrow, "Are you alright there?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, turning to catch up with the other students. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You seem different."

"Just more relaxed, I expect." He kept a brisk pace, not caring if she caught up or not. His hands were still warm.

"What did you do in Italy?" she asked, finally catching up to him. She looked up expectantly.

"Partied a lot mostly, you know how it is." His gaze locked on the rest of the Marauders entering the Great Hall.

"Oh, wow, so different from your Hogwarts life."

"Not appreciating the sarcasm there."

"You always appreciate my sarcasm." She laughed.

He looked down at her, "What did you do in Italy?"

"I met someone, actually." She beamed, a blush staining her cheeks. "He was quite a nice muggle boy. We dated all summer. We broke up before term started."

Images of Lily running around in her swimming costume, wet red curtains falling over her shoulders as she sprawled on the sand with a faceless boy flashed across his mind. He cleared his throat, "Why'd you do that?"

"Long distance is too hard. Besides, he'd start to wonder where my school was and why I was going. It would just be too…tricky." She scrunched her face up at the thought.

"Long distance isn't hard." He defended. "I think it's rather easy if the feelings are there."

She nudged him in the side, laughing. "Are you in a long distance relationship?"

He paused as they reached the doors to the Great hall, pulling her back away from the influx of students. Against the corridor he decided to just go for it. "Yeah, I am. I, uh, met someone over break. We're together now."

Her vibrant eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Is she a witch?"

"Naturally," He nodded. "She goes to Beauxbatons."

Lily let out a whistle, long and low, "Fancy."

"Tell me about her." She poked him in the shoulder. "Don't leave me hanging here. I want to know all about this mystery girl."

"Later." He promised. "I haven't told the Marauders yet."

"Why? It seems like it'd be the first thing you'd do if you were serious."

"I am serious. It just…doesn't seem right yet. Like it's too soon."

"You told me." She pointed out.

"That didn't feel weird." Talking about Melissa with Lily seemed perfectly normal, like any other conversations did. He was so at ease around her, he could spill all of his secrets without batting an eyelash if he wasn't careful. "Just don't mention it."

"Aye aye, sir." She mock saluted. "We should get to dinner before people start talking."

"Everybody already talks, what's wrong with giving them one more thing?" He laughed. But he turned away from her, heading to the Gryffindor table.

"Nice of the Heads to join us." Wormtail snickered as James slid into his seat beside Sirius.

"She was just filling me in on the things I'd missed in the meeting." James piled his plate with food, not looking up from his task.

"If you ask me, I think Lily finally wants it." Sirius said.

Annoyance flickered in James and his hands still burned from where they'd touched her. "Why is it always about Lily Evans? What about Gillian or Emmeline or the other girls I've fancied or snogged?" He asked, exasperated. "I mean, there's more to my life than her. How about we change the subject to Quidditch? You know I'm captain. Why don't we ever focus on that aspect of my life?"

"Sheesh, alright Prongs, we get it: You don't fancy Lily Evans." Sirius scowled at his friend. "No need to snap at us."

James was about to reply when the Headmaster stood up, silencing all conversation with one look. Dumbledore peered around the room before finally focusing on the group of excited first years in front of him. "Dark times are upon us, I'm afraid. Many of us have already lost loved ones in this growing war. But tonight is not about that. Tonight is about beginnings, not endings. All of you first years are just starting, many of you just now finding out about the magical world. So, I'll keep this short so the sorting can start soon." The old man paused and many people laughed. "The forbidden forest is, like always, forbidden. Security will be tighter this year, under the supervision of Argus Filch. Due to the recent attacks we must ask that students do not tempt fate by sneaking out after hours." He broke off, staring straight at the marauders.

"I think the old man is on to us, mate." Remus whispered, causing his friend to laugh quietly.

Dumbledore continues, repeating the same Hogwarts rules he did every semester, drilling them into the eager first years heads. Finally he sat down and McGonagall brought forth a stool and placed a ratty old familiar hat on it. The sorting hat opened its rip of a mouth and began its song:

_"Listen close, for I sing fast_

_And myself I do not repeat,_

_I have something to tell you_

_A warning to keep you on your feet_

_Tonight you will be separated_

_Decoding friend from foe_

_Though I am just a hat_

_Here are things you ought to know:_

_Not all that go in Gryffindor_

_Are brave and bold at heart_

_Some students in the red and gold_

_Can tear their lives apart_

_Next we have ambitious Slytherin_

_Their house marred by betrayals past_

_Not all that go there are devious_

_So do not count them last_

_Then there's wise old Ravenclaw_

_By their wisdom don't be blinded_

_For I myself can tell you_

_Even they can be small minded_

_Hufflepuff rounds up the list_

_But do not count them out_

_So beware where your loyalties lie_

_Don't let your prejudice decide what you're about_

_Magic comes from within_

_Regardless of blood or belief_

_Band together and stand tall_

_And power through your grief_

_Hand in hand, face the oncoming storm_

_Stand together for the light_

_For Merlin knows that this year_

_Will be the one when bad things are in sight_

_Loyalties will be tested_

_friends stabbed in the back_

_But don't let that cloud your mind_

_When we're all under attack_

_And only those with purest minds_

_Will think that wrong is right_

_Don't be fooled by false promises_

_For the end for us is in sight."_

The hat finished up, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

"Doesn't he just, you know, tell us what qualities the houses like and then get on with it?" Peter hissed, looking just as confused as the rest.

"Was that a warning?" James asked, not really speaking to anyone in particular.

"I think it was more of a prayer." Lily answered from a few seats down. She and Marlene looked at each other before her green eyes sought James's. "It sounded ominous."

"He always sounds ominous." Sirius said, digging into his plate. "It's nothing new."

"Aren't you going to wait for the sorting?" Marlene asked.

Sirius looked at her blankly, as if she had just asked the dumbest question on Earth before going back to stuffing his mouth.

"Does he ever wait?" James answered for his friend, unfortunately sending Marlene into a fit of giggles. He and Lily rolled their eyes at her friend.

The sorting started and passed just a quickly with a handful of new Ravenclaws, a couple new Slytherins, and Hufflepuff taking the most of them. Gryffindor got three new members; James forgot their names the moment they were sorted. He wondered what Melissa was doing, if she was having the Beauxbatons equivalent of a welcoming feast. He hoped she was thinking of him.

Maybe Lily was right and long distance relationships weren't worth it. It was their first full night away from each other and already he was stressed over it.

He didn't even notice when people started filling out for dinner until Lily tapped him on the shoulder. "James, you've got to show the first year boys to their dormitory."

"Shit, that's right." He had responsibilities now. Rushing out the grand double doors he herded up the firsties and led them to the Fat Lady.

"Oh, you're Head boy," the portrait sneered. "I expect there will be less sneaking out now?"

"Don't bet on it." He laughed. "Let's see, the password is…" All of the round eyes looked up at him expectantly. He drew a blank.

"Pumpkin Pasties." Lily supplied from beside him. He jumped about an inch out of his skin. "You'd know that if you paid attention during the debriefing."

"But why should I keep up with things like that when I've got you to do it for me?" He smirked as the portrait swung open.

"Don't count on it, Potter."

After the first years were settled in their dorms, James trudged into the common room to find his friends all seated around the fire place. "Prongs, got everything done?" Sirius asked as James sat down between him and Peter on the sofa.

"Naw, I just left them to their own devices." He reclined back, finally slipping the shoes from his aching feet.

"You look tired." Lily observed from her chair by the fire. It was interesting how she could spot things about him that others skipped over. "Maybe you should head to bed early."

"Yeah," Marlene chimed in, "and dream about Lily."

Fucking Marlene and her big mouth.

"What?" Lily whipped around to look at her friend. "What are you talking about?"

"Apparently you talk for about seven minutes and then something James won't talk about it for the last thirteen."

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she looked between the Head Boy and her bushy haired friend. "Am I supposed to be scandalized by this?"

"No. It was a joke anyway." James tossed his head back on the couch looking at the ornate ceiling. "Just forget about it."

"Alright. It sounds really dumb anyway." A playful gleam entered her eye as she locked eyes with him. "I mean, James doesn't even get a chance to talk in my dreams."

The whole common room erupted in laughter.


	3. A Peace Offering

The murky morning light spilled into the seventh year boys' dormitory, much to James's chagrin. He regretted not closing his bed curtains the night before. He rolled over sleepily and buried his head under his pillow. If he tried hard enough he could pretend it was still summer and that Melissa was lying next to him. Opening his eyes a sliver; he couldn't help but feel disappointed that he was in bed alone. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the plain ceiling above him.

The last night he'd spent with his lovely girlfriend had been the hardest. They had sat out on the beach pointing out constellations. James was showing off what little he had remembered from astronomy.

"There is not a star called 'The Glorious James Potter'" Melissa had laughed, her thick French accent setting him on fire. She leaned her head on his shoulder, bright blue eyes looking up at him though her eyelashes.

"Are you sure about that?" he teased. His hand reached out and cupped her face, his thumb skimming her soft bottom lip.

She leaned in until their noses brushed, her warm breath tickling his face. "I believe that I know a great deal more than you do James Potter."

"Oh?" he smiled against her mouth, his heartbeat quickening. "Why don't you show me?"

Their lips met, hers opening for him to explore. Tongues battled for dominance as their mouths meshed. His hands were tangled in her raven hair, her hands making quick work of unbuttoning his shirt.

He didn't know when the memory had drifted into a dream and he didn't realize his hand was wandering down to the ever growing hardness in his boxers. Her dream hands explored his chest, his hand dropped below his waistband. "Blimey." He murmured, his hand beginning the task dream Melissa was embarking on.

"Shit, Prongs!" Sirius's voice pierced through his dream, shattering the moment.

James's eyes flew open to find Sirius tugging the curtains around him closed. "Oh fuck," he cursed, realizing just where his hand was.

"You could at _least_ close the curtains before wanking, yeah?" Padfoot called through the wall of fabric.

"Wait, James was jerking off?" Peter's groggy voice asked, the commotion clearly woke him up.

"Merlin, just forget it. I was dreaming, alright? I didn't know what I was doing." His face burned brighter than Evans's hair. He sat up in bed, too embarrassed to come out. _Of course this would happen, _he thought bitterly, _of all the fucking ways to start the school and I involuntarily chose to put my hands in my pants._

"You could've at least gone to the loo for that." Moony said.

Great, now everyone knew.

"Can we drop it?" James hissed, annoyance replacing his embarrassment. "It's not like we haven't all heard Peter going at it in his bed every once in a while."

This caused Sirius to howl in laughter, which was encouragement enough for James to pull back the curtains. Moony was already setting to work on his tie; the other two Marauders still wore their pajamas. Sirius was still laughing, falling back onto his four poster. Peter sat on his bed, his face beet red, squeaking out hurried protests.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower." James announced. After rummaging through the trunk at the end of his bed he headed to the lavatory, vowing to fully unpack later.

* * *

He stared into the steam fogged mirror, combing his hair in a futile attempt to tame it. Melissa had constantly told him that she preferred his hair flat and neat. After adding a flattening charm to it, he gave up and hoped for the best. He could already see the curls straining against the hold.

Heading into the common room, he started feeling pretty good about the day – regardless of where his hands had been. All hopes of everyone else forgetting the incident were dashed the moment he entered the common room, though. The Marauders sat by the windows, Lily and Emmeline with them. They all burst out laughing when James arrived.

"You didn't…" he groaned, shooting and accusing glare at Sirius.

"No mate, but I'm glad you brought it up." His best friend laughed, leaning back against the window pane. "I was wondering what you were dreaming about."

"Let it go." James blushed. If it wasn't for the girls, he'd remind Sirius of that deadly prank he'd pulled the year before – the one that had almost ended their friendship.

"Well, wasn't Marlene talking about his Lily themed dreams just yesterday?" Emmeline asked, brushing her blonde hair out of her face, the morning light shining in behind her almost making it glow.

"That's right, the last thirteen minutes and all of that." Sirius looked James in the eye, smirking.

Lily laughed, her face flushing. "Guys I highly doubt-"

"Oh, we're just teasing Evans." Peter assured her, hoping down from the window sill. "James knows that."

Fuck them. Fuck them and everything they stand for.

"We should probably head down to breakfast." Moony changed the subject, shoving the book he had been reading into his bag.

They made their way to the great hall. Sirius walked with peter, their heads huddled together. Remus walked with Emmeline, his hands nervously shoved in his pockets. James hung back, though, his fingers trailing along the banister.

"They don't mean any harm." Lily told him, glancing back over her shoulder.

"I know," He sighed. "It's just embarrassing."

"Oh, I'm not denying that." her laugh rang through his ears like church bells. "It sounds awkward as hell."

"No offense, but I don't really want to talk about this kind of thing with you." He thought that would've been obvious.

"I can respect that." She nodded. "Were you dreaming about Melissa?"

"You don't get the whole not wanting to talk about it thing do you, Evans?"

"You _were_ dreaming about her, then." She laughed, looking pleased with herself. "Alright, change of topic."

He breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Pushing past Lily, he made his way towards the marauders. Before he could get too far a hand caught his arm, pulling him back. He looked down into Lily's eyes, confused.

"What is it?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

She reached up silently, her hand going for his hair. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Melissa likes it better this way." He sidestepped her advancing hand.

"Well, Melissa isn't here." She dodged his hand and ruffled his hair with hers until it was nice and messy again.

"What the fuck?" He stepped back from her, unable to bring himself to be truly angry. Instead he faked it, putting on his best no nonsense face, and hoped she bought it.

She didn't.

"You can flatten your hair all you want around your fancy girlfriend but I will _not _walk around with a head boy who looks like a total prat. Understand?"

"So you _do_ like my hair all ruffled up like I just got of a broomstick." He grinned, bringing up that bitter spring day two years ago.

She shrugged, smiling. "It's better than this foreign alternative."

"I knew it." He couldn't fight the smirk.

"I would still prefer to go around with the giant squid, but you'll do." She smirked back at him, her face looking beautifully devious.

Sirius pulled James aside after breakfast, telling the others that they'd catch up to them in potions. "You're not mad at me, are you Prongs?" He asked once the others were out of ear shot.

James stared at his feet, not giving a damn if he ran into any of the other students bustling by. It was a weighted question and they both knew it. Sirius wasn't just asking if he was mad about what happened this morning.

Sirius looked unnerved by his friend's silence, and started to ramble. "I mean, you and I haven't really gotten a chance to talk since we got back and you know we barely spoke over break. You kind of up and disappeared this summer."

James bristled at that. "No, Padfoot, I told you before summer even started that I had plans."

"Yeah, but you made those when we weren't talking." He ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair, causing at least half of the girls in the corridor to swoon. "I kind of thought I don't know, that you would cut it short or take me with you."

"My life doesn't revolve around you." James snapped with annoyance clear in his tone. This wasn't a conversation he was ready to have he sidestepped a group of Ravenclaws and turned down an emptier corridor. It looked like his first day was going to be shot to hell. He turned to face his friend, looking up at him. "I wasn't going to cancel plans just because I forgave you."

"That's just it!" Sirius exclaimed, leaning back against the corridor exhausted. "I don't think you did forgive me!"

"You almost killed Snivillus and almost made Moony a murderer. It's kind of a hard thing to forgive. But honestly, I'd rather not think about it."

"So you admit it!" hurt flashed across Sirius's face. "You _are_ still cross at me!"

"That's not what this is about!" James hated yelling at his best friend. Sirius had grown up with enough yelling to last a lifetime. "This is about this morning!"

"I'm trying to get us back where we were before this whole mess came about!" Sirius pushed off the wall and began pacing the corridor. "It was just a bit of lighthearted fun."

"You lightheartedly told everyone you caught me tossing off this morning?" James asked in disbelief. "We never did those kinds of things before."

"Well, the last time we really talked you thought Gillian Stratford fancied you, you still had eyes for Evans, Snape was out to get us, my brother wasn't a Death Eater, and –as far as I know- I was practically a Potter!" Sirius exclaimed, whipping around to face James. His grey eyes burned with anger and hurt.

"Can we not do this now? I don't want to start this year off being late to Slughorn's class."

"Oh, right, because you're Mr. Head Boy now. The model student." He spat the words like they were poison. "How could I be so daft?"

"You know I'm really starting to think that this isn't about me being mad at you at all." James snarled. "I'm starting to think you're the one who is mad here."

"I'm not mad! I'm worried!"

"About what?" James ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "What are you worried about Sirius?"

"About us! About you!" Padfoot scratched the back of his head, confusion on his face. "I mean, I thought we were good and then you up and disappear. Moony's getting letters from you but I barely even get a handful. You come back with that goddamn badge on your chest and you're not messed up at all about the fact Evans has the matching one. And I mean, look at you! You tried to flatten your hair this morning –what's with that?"

"I don't know!" James exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Maybe I'm just growing up!"

"Well, I don't like it." Sirius shot back, rifling through his pockets until he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You growing up looks an awful lot like us growing apart."

"I thought you quit smoking." James said, his voice quieter. He watched his best mate lift the cigarette to his lips and light it with the tip of his wand. "You know I'm not supposed to let you do that."

"So put me in detention, Head Boy." Sirius challenged, exhaling smoke into the empty dungeon halls. "Let's just make this all official."

"You know I wouldn't do that." James sighed, walking over to Sirius. He took the cigarette from his lips and placed it to his own, taking a drag. "And I'm not leaving you. You know we'll be best friends until the day you accidentally kill over from doing something reckless."

Sirius sat on the floor, motioning for James to sit beside him. "Oh I'm going to die first? I had no idea you were so good at Divination."

"Well, I imagine after you finally find some gorgeous witch to settle down with and get all of your fighting out of your system you'll grow to miss it and go out thrill seeking and then Poof! You'll meet your doom." James passed the cigarette back to Sirius.

"What about you?" Sirius laughed, taking a drag. "I imagine you'll live to be as old as fucking Dumbledore or someshit with a ton of children and grandchildren screaming about. I'll be best man at your wedding of course. I mean, hey, I might even sneak in there and kiss the bride before you."

"You had better not." James laughed.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they took turns smoking, passing the thing between them. The future really wasn't that fun to think about. There was a war going on outside the safe walls of Hogwarts. People were dying every day. Nothing was certain.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Sirius broke the silence, his eyes not meeting James's.

"I expect so." James nodded. "The fighting is only going to get worse."

"We're going to die." It wasn't a question. Padfoot spoke it with such conviction no one could question it. "But we're going to fight, right?"

"Tell me about Regulus. " James changed the subject, watching his best friend blanch in the torch light. "Is he really a Death Eater?"

"You should've seen him the few times I ran into him. He was gallivanting around, pulling up his sleeve at every opportunity to show _it _off. That horrid fucking Dark Mark. Mummy and Daddy are so proud, of course. Death Eaters uphold all of their disgusting beliefs." Sirius closed his eyes, tilting his head against the wall. "I imagine mum was just flouncing about the kitchen sighing 'Oh, Regulus is the son I always wanted. Why couldn't my nasty ass blood traitor Sirius ever be as good as his younger brother?'"

"I highly doubt your mother would use the term 'nasty ass.'"

"You get my point, smart guy."

* * *

"Sorry we're late, professor." James tried his best to sound out of breath, as if they had been running. "We fell asleep in the library."

Professor Slughorn's round face lit up with amusement as he greeted the two seventh years. "Hitting the books pretty hard already, Head Boy?"

"Oh yes Professor, you know it." James nodded, suppressing a laugh.

"You and Mr. Black go sit over there with Mr. Lupin and Miss Evans, they'll fill you in." and with that, the potions master turned back to his desk.

"Looks like he'll be wanting to collect you for the Slug Club next." Sirius hissed in his ear.

"Don't even joke." James warned. He didn't want to be part of that at all. "Plus, I would never abandon our anti-slug club. We throw way better parties."

Lily didn't look up as they sat down at the table, and Remus only glanced up to glare. "You smell like smoke." The other marauder observed, turning back to grounding his fluxweed into a fine powder.

"We had a bit of an incident." James pulled his book from his rucksack and peered over Lily's to get the page number. He quickly flipped to page 394. "Just some things to get through, you know."

"Sirius giving you a friendly hand?" Lily asked, still not looking up from her potion.

James dropped his book, bursting out in laughter. The whole class turned to look at him as Sirius and Remus joined in. Lily continued chopping up her ingredient, the tips of her ears turning red from the attention.

"Nothing like that, Evans. Though it's nice to know your fantasies." Sirius quieted down. He looked over at James's book and left to grab the ingredients.

"Sure, sure." She teased.

Remus poured the fluxweed powder into the cauldron, making a tsk tsk noise as he did so. "Being late on the first day isn't god, Prongs."

"I'd like to think I make the rules, being Head Boy and all."

"That's not how that works." Lily reminded him. "We uphold the rules, we don't make them."

"But that's so boring." He complained.

Sirius returned with the ingredients and soon they went under way mixing a potion. James didn't even pay attention, knowing that it didn't make a difference. He sucked. The only reason he even made it into N.E.W.T. level potions was because he came from a prominent family and Slughorn liked collecting. Not that he hadn't made an Exceed Expectations on his O.W.L.S, just that he wouldn't pick potions. It wasn't like he wanted to be an auror or anything. He didn't want any part of his father's job.

After they finished their half ass potion James carried it to the font of the room to set it on Slughorn's desk. He didn't even notice the greasy haired boy creeping at his elbow until the potion was knocked out of his hands.

"Oops." Snape sneered as the potion pooled at their feet. "How clumsy of me."

James glared at the git, hatred plain in his eyes. If it had been another year, another incident, another James, then he would've cursed him where he stood. He would've used his own demented spells against him. But as it was, James forced a smile. "No worries mate. Accidents happen."

Snape obviously was not happy with James's indifference. Clearly he'd been looking for a fight. He wanted James to hex him in front of Lily. Anyone could tell he had been seething since James had walked in. "Yes, _accidents._" Snape hedged.

"Do you really want me to acknowledge that you did it on purpose?" James sighed, conscious of his friends' watchful stares. "Because I was hoping we could just do this thing called pretend each other doesn't exist. That way neither of us gets in trouble."

Snape looked up at James like he was dragon dung on his second hand sneakers. "I'm not the one with the problem, Potter."

"Yes, yes, I get it." James held up his hands in mock resignation. "I'm a git. I'm your nemesis. Oh my, you've bested me this time."

"Don't make fun of me."

"Can we just, I don't know, get past all of this?" James presented his hand. "I'm not saying I like you, because I don't. I tell you what, we can attack each other all we want after we graduate but can we just have a truce for this year?" James looked over his shoulder at his friend's table. He could see Lily's hand buried in her pocket, probably gripped tight around her wand. He assumed that the other two had theirs ready as well. Lily wore a disapproving look.

"Don't," she mouthed, and that was all James needed. He turned back to the Slytherin boy and pushed his hand out farther in front of him.

Snape looked down at him like it was poison oak or something complete repulsive. He stuck his nose up at James's offer, turning on his heel and marching back to his group.

"Pity." James sighed, magicking away his spilt potion. He shoved his hands in his pocket, making his way back to the table.

"Why didn't you hex that bastard?" Sirius demanded, his outrage clear on his face.

"Because I promised myself I'd stop picking fights." He answered. New James didn't attack people without valid reason. Spilling a stupid potion wasn't good enough. No, Snape would have to slip up big time for James to act.

"But he initiated it." Sirius placed his wand on the table, confirming James's suspicions. "I was ready to go when you did."

"And what, do what he's been accusing me of for years? Ambushing him four to one? Always using my friends to fight my battles? Nah, it wouldn't have done any good."

"That's really mature of you, James." Lily spoke up, flashing him a kind smile.

His hands gripped the edge of the table, the cool wood keeping him level headed. "First name basis, is it?"

"You've earned it, I think." She shot back, picking up her own potion vial.

The muscles in his stomach tightened as she walked away, his eyes lingering on her swaying hips. He had pleased Lily Evans. All it took was seven years. It felt damn good. For once, James was starting to see what it was like to truly be the bigger man, to be the one who walked away from a challenge – who turned his back on unnecessary fights. He quite liked it.

"I for one am glad you didn't attack him." Remus's voice pried his attention away from Lily. "It would've been a shame for you to lose that prized badge after only one class."

James's hand went to the badge pinned onto his robes. "It's not prized." He defended.

"It sure shines like it is." Sirius elbowed him in the side playfully.


End file.
